Contents

Geography

Location and climate

Tortall is a country in the Eastern Lands. It has a humid continental climate, for the most part, and is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. In the north, Tortall experiences quite a lot of snow during the winter. In the south, however, near the Great Inland Sea, it has a rather warmer winter, although there is quite a lot of rain.

It borders the Emerald Ocean at the western border, and the Great Inland Sea on its southern border. This gives it many miles of coastline, but also many contentious borders. Tortall has been invaded quite a few times by raiders and bandits of other countries, namely those from Carthak, Scanra, and the Copper Isles.

It takes about 22 or 24 days on horseback to ride north to south, depending upon conditions and hostilities faced, and 14.5 days on horseback to ride east to west.[2]

Other landforms

Politics

Government

The current ruling family of Tortall is House Conté. Tortall is a constitutional feudal monarchy and is ruled by a king and/or queen, although there are no known Conté queens who have ruled in their own right. It currently is ruled by Jonathan IV of Conté and Queen Thayet, who are joint rulers of Tortall. Tortall has a prime minister and several councils, the Council of Lords, the Council of Commons[6], and the king's private council. There is also the Council of Mages that makes legislation for mages and mage work[7]. The monarch has a significant amount of power, but they must listen to their councils and their prime minister. The monarch does not have absolute power, and thus is not autocratic. A prime minister is not appointed by the people in a vote, but by the monarch themselves, although the councils may have something to do with the appointment as well. It also seems to be a lifelong position as opposed to to having a limit. During the reign of King Jonathan IV, Sir Gareth serves as the king's prime minister and chief adviser.

Laws and justice

Crime

There is organized crime in Tortall and the surrounding lands, namely the Court of the Rogue. Not all criminals are members of the Court, but those who are swear their allegiance to their leader. The Rogue, or the King/Queen of Thieves, protects those under their care, keeps them away from law enforcement, takes care of them during times of hardship like famine, and helps them if they are caught and punished. What the Court does and does not condone and whom the Court does and does not protect depends quite a bit on each individual ruler. Many times, the Court will punish its own members if it feels that the criminal did something reprehensible or traitorous.

Law enforcement

The law in Tortall is kept and upheld by the magistrates and the Provost's Guard, which was founded in the second century of the Human Era. Lawbreakers are subjected to a trial in front of a magistrate to decide punishment. It is unknown how much punishments differed in the 5th century from the 3rd century for specific crimes.

The law enforcement's relationship with crime organizations like the Court of the Rogue has fluctuated quite a bit over time. In the 3rd century, law enforcement and the Court had a tentative truce, and the Court would pay bribes in order for the law to overlook a few of their minor crimes. In the 5th century, the relationship between the two organizations had changed drastically. There seemed to be no sort of amnesty policy, and the Court operated in secret.

Known punishments:During the 3rd century

sentenced counterfeiter was boiled in oil

someone who knowingly kept counterfeits in circulation had his or her hand lopped off.[8]

punishment was very strict when a guardsman or guardswoman was attacked or if children were harmed

Laws

Slavery and the slave trade

"Many evils take place under the canopy of slavery, including the banditry and piracy that plague our mountains and seas. This trade may go elsewhere. Let other monarchs deal with its mischief. I hope they can protect their children from it."

Slavery was prohibited in the 3rd century by decree of King Roger III, after his son was kidnapped and enslaved[9]. The ban states that all slave traders must leave Tortall by the 1st of October in 249, and all slave auctions and selling of human beings is illegal except to reunite families—this case must be approved by a Crown magistrate. Slaves may buy their freedom, or remain with their owners until their deaths—no owner may cast out a slave, and the law will protect them. In 250, by the spring equinox, no child under the age of ten may be a slave, and owners must find new work for the young slaves[9]. The ban needed two witnesses to ratify it and make it legal; Prince Gareth was one and Rebakah Cooper was the other.

Before the ban, slavery was completely legal, although there were already progressive inclinations to ban it and to forbid illegal slave auctions—which were only illegal because they didn't pay the demanded taxes to the Crown. People holding slaves were responsible for their doings and could be imprisoned when their "vicious slaves" did any harm[10]. After the ban, it is unknown what the punishment for slave trading was, but it is presumably quite high.

King Roger III's ban sparked conflicts that are known as the Era of Civil Wars in Tortall, which took place from 251 to 280 HE.[1]

Women's rights

Tortall exemplifies the fluctuation of women's rights. In the third century and prior to that, women were able to enter the workforce. Noblewomen also had the prerogative to become knights. There was still a high amount of misogyny and sexism that was rampant, but women were able to work in occupations that were dominated by men later. By the 5th century HE, women had lost those rights. In many places, women were considered the veritable property of male members of their family.

Noblewomen could inherit land, but not titles, and were passed over if they had male siblings[11][12]. They could not become knights, and no woman could enter the military or the Provost's Guard.

In the mid-5th century, King Jonathan and Queen Thayet did what they could to ameliorate life for women. In the 450s HE, there was a large amount of activism, mostly on the part of the temples of the Great Mother Goddess, to end violence against women in Tortall. There were still quite a lot of problems in cases involving noblemen and commoner women, as the courts automatically swung in the favor of the nobleman.

Rights of commoners

The activism for commoner's rights was closely linked to activism for women's rights in the 5th century HE, as many commoner women suffered from both classist and misogynistic laws and presumptions. Commoner women rarely won sexual assault cases when the perpetrator was a commoner man, let alone a nobleman. The temples of the Great Mother Goddess fought for commoner women who were victims of sexual assault. Many leaders of the temples became quite militaristic about justice for commoner women, even if the abuser was a nobleman. When Keladry of Mindelan petitioned King Jonathan and Queen Thayet to change a law that measured servants in coin and stripped them of their own agency, King Jon mentioned that they would get support from the temples of the Great Mother Goddess, as they would see it as furthering progress for women's rights.

Besides the intersection of women and commoner rights, change occurred that would aid all commoners. Queen Thayet worked hard to provide free schooling for commoners, especially poorer tenants of a noble's lands.

Aristocracy

Power and privilege

The nobility wield a large amount of power throughout the kingdom. They are allowed to call upon noble privileges, which have political power as well as cultural power. With noble privileges, aristocrats cannot be arrested when they have sanctuary on their own property, they can get away with more in terms of crime, etc. They wield considerable power over their own property and the tenants who live on that property. Most of the higher and most powerful positions of the realm are held by members of the nobility.

Fiefdoms in Tortall are by royal grant. Further inheritance depends on the provisions set out in that grant. As long as there is either a legitimate heir (50% of Tortall Fiefdoms) or a legitimate male heir (50% of Tortall Fiefdoms), the grant belongs to the family for life. Land goes to the oldest heir. If there are no legitimate [male] heirs within 3 degrees of cousinship, the land will return to the crown. [13][14]

During a period of war, it was forbidden to challenge another noble to a duel, and if one refuses a challenge during a time period, one may not worry about loss of honor.[2]

Practices

Nobles had to adhere to a very strict code of rules, some of which were written down and others of which were just assumed. The eldest son and heir of a fief was usually the one who was sent to the palace for knight training. This is not always true, but was the main practice for noble families. Some notable exceptions were the Mindelan family, a relatively new baronial house that send most of its male children and one of its female children to become knights, despite the practice to send only the eldest. Younger sons usually became members of the King's Own, at least before it became a formidable battle troop. Domitan of Masbolle stuck to tradition in this sense, despite knowing he'd have to do combat, unlike what it used to be.

In the 420s HE, noble girls often were sent to convents to learn proper manners. This seemed to change drastically from when Alanna was young to the 460s, as it became more of a practice for girls to remain at home and learn from their mothers and deportment teachers.

Marriages were planned when the noble children were still quite young, and oftentimes they would remain betrothed for years before marrying. Uline of Hannalof was betrothed to Kieran haMinch when she was still around 16 years old. It was the custom for most realms in the Eastern Lands that a noble bride must remain a virgin until she is married.[15] It is also a custom that a bride take her husband's surname or fiefdom upon marriage.[16][17]

Of course, this list is non-exhaustive. Unlike Queen Lianne, Thayet was mentioned because she is co-ruler of Tortall with her husband and shares equal power, as opposed to just the wife of the ruler of the country.

The Conté family had been ruling Tortall for centuries, beginning with Jonathan I. No Conté queens who ruled suo jure (in their own right) have been mentioned or portrayed in any books.

International relations

Tortall's relationships with its neighboring countries has fluctuated immensely over centuries. In the mid 200s HE, there were no wars and most of the strife was internal. Many wars took place in the 300s during the reign of King Jasson III—who was known as the Conqueror. Even King Roald's reign is blemished by war, even though he was known as "The Peace-maker"—although that epithet was mostly due to his peace-making in the conquered lands of his father.

Galla

In the 200s HE, a marital alliance between Galla and Tortall was attempted when King Roger III married a Gallan princess, Alysy. As Queen of Tortall, she was extremely unhappy and depressed because of her husband's philandering. She died of breast cancer.

Barzun

After Queen Alysy died, King Roger II married a Barzunni princess, Jessamine. Their marriage was more successful and they created a strong alliance with Barzun, especially because Queen Jessamine encouraged King Roger II to take a stronger role in politics as King of Tortall, and she gave him an heir, Prince Gareth, who would later become a well-remembered king in Tortallan history as "Gareth the Strong".

The Barzunni alliance did not hold a very long time as nearly a century later, it was conquered by King Jasson III, despite his Barzunni heritage. Of course, perhaps Jasson felt even more fit to rule Barzun because of his royal blood from that country. Jasson also conquered the lands outside of Tortall, expanding Tortall's borders well into Scanra and Tusaine.

Tusaine

Tortall's relationship with Tusaine suffered during the early 400s, when the Tusaine War broke out in a fight over the valley surrounding the Drell River. The Tortallans were the victors and they drafted a treaty that would force Tusaine to never lay claim to that territory again.

The Bazhir

King Jasson III conquered the Great Southern Desert without a thought for the people already living there, the Bazhir, and at first the tribes were immensely hostile to Tortallans. There was peace between them when King Jonathan became the Voice of the Tribes while he was still the crown prince of Tortall. Once king, he allowed Bazhir men to enter into page training to become knights of the realm.

Alanna the Lioness succeeded in ridding the Bazhir of the Ysandir, deadly immortals who feasted on the souls of humans. This created the first bridge between the Tortallans and the Bazhir tribes who were still hostile to the northerners.

Raoul of Goldenlake also helped matters in recruiting Bazhir for the King's Own. Quite a few men joined, and Lord Raoul is rather beloved of the Bazhir tribes and welcomed with the highest hospitality[18].

Yamani Islands

Although originally rather hostile to each other, the Yamani Islands and Tortall forged a marital alliance between their two countries. The emperor of the Islands sent a second-rank princess Shinkokami to marry Crown Prince Roald, King Jonathan and Queen Thayet's eldest son and heir.

The Tortallans also received military aid from the Islands in the Immortals War. They did not seem to receive troops from the Islands for the Scanran War, but it would not be surprising if they received monetary aid.

Copper Isles and Carthak

Tortall has a historically bad relationship with the Copper Isles and Carthak, as government sanctioned slavers and privateers[19] would capture Tortallans and sell them in their countries. This was relatively the same for Scanra, which often conducted sanctioned border raids. In the late 440s HE, the Immortals War broke out. The belligerents were Ozorne Tasikhe and his Stormwings, Copper Isles, Scanra, and some rebel Carthakis, against Tortall and the Yamani Islands. Tortall did not receive aid from Galla, Tusaine, or Maren.

Scanra

In the late 450s trouble started brewing on the Scanran border when killing devices started appearing and wreaking havoc. War was officially declared in early 460 HE. The war ended officially in 464. It is unknown if any treaties were signed, but Tamora Pierce mentioned that King Jonathan was looking for a Scanran princess for his second son Prince Liam, and that would suggest that he is interested in forming a marital alliance between Tortall and Scanra.

Infrastructure

Transportation

There are several roads that span across Tortall, as well as smaller roads in various cities.

Larger roads and highways

Note that some of these roads span through a few cities, districts, and provinces that list smaller roads.

Three Rivers Province

Port Caynn

Military

Armed forces

Tortall has many different branches of armed forces to protect the country:

The Standing Army—Led by several Generals. As Vanget haMinch is the General of the Northern Armies, there is likely a General of the Southern Armies whose identity is unknown. The standing army responds to crises like the declaration of war and open battles. They rarely do reconnaissance and chases that require speed.

The King's Own—Used to be a rather useless branch until Raoul of Goldenlake shaped them up and recruited from the Bazhir and the common factions of Tortall. Prior to his leadership the King's Own acted as a comfortable way for second sons to spend time and carouse while avoiding other duties. By the mid 400s, the King's Own is a formidable battle troop. They are used for reconnaissance, forest work, and open battles. They are generally the first responders to a crisis such as an immortal attack.

The Queen's Riders—Founded by Queen Thayet, the Riders are able to reach less accessible places of Tortall, like in the mountains or in heavily wooded areas, unlike the standing army. The Riders accept both men and women into their ranks, unlike both the standing army and the King's Own. They are also charged with teaching defense and fighting skills to locals.

Knights—Taught a variety of fighting skills and offensive and defensive skills. Knights are usually given command of troops or forts. When working with the standing army, however, they are given less power unless they are older and more seasoned. The appointment of a newly created knight to a command position is rare but not unheard of—as is the case with Keladry of Mindelan.

The Tyrant Wars (or the Gallan Wars)—After Giamo the Tyrant gains possession of the Dominion Jewel, he starts conquering areas of northeast Tortall and northern Maren. The wars start in 82 HE and end in 125, with the Treaty of the Falls. Giamo is assassinated 8 years into the wars, but his efforts are taken up by Parrac the Quiet, the next ruler of Galla.[1]

Era of Civil Wars—a series of major conflicts that came about in response to King Roger III's ban on slavery in 249 HE. The era extends from 251 to 280 HE.

Major conquests: King Jasson III conquered many lands, expanding Tortall's borders. The king completely conquered Barzun in 400 HE.

Immortals War—took place during the reign of Jonathan IV, the son and successor of King Roald I. Major war between Tortall and Carthak, Scanra, and the Copper Isles. The latter three countries joined together with Uusoae, Queen of Chaos and several other unsavory types of immortals, thus giving the war its title. Tortall and its allies were the victors.

Scanran War—took place in the early 460s between Tortall and Scanra. Maggur Rathhausak wished to conquer well into the northern Tortallan border and used metal monsters dubbed as killing devices to accomplish this goal. Tortallans were the victors.

Famine of 439 — occurred after the Coronation Day Battle. The Dominion Jewel used up too much of the earth's energy for it to continue properly sustaining itself. It took years to get agriculture back on tract, which resulted in a devastating famine. King Jonathan and Queen Thayet had to scrounge to get Tortallans through it.

Economy

Farming and fishing along the coastlines, are the main sources of food and wealth in Tortall. Corus and Port Legann are also trading centers. Tortall is considered to be a prosperous nation, even with its various poor.

Currency and value

The main units of currency in Tortall are the gold crown, gold noble, with gold bits, silver nobles, copper nobles, and copper bits as lower denominations.

One gold noble is equal to ten silver nobles. One silver noble is equal to fifty coppers. Copper nobles are referred to as "coppers".

240s HE

In the 240s HE a gold noble valued ten silver nobles and a hundred copper nobles. Four gold bits also made up a gold noble.[20]

One copper noble equaled ten coppers while ten copper nobles made up one silver noble.[20]

In 247 HE, fresh bread cost two coppers before the Bread Riot and three coppers each after the riot.[22] The baker Garnett took a bribe of five copper nobles from the customers who had accidentally paid him with false coins.[23]

In the third century of the Human Era the profile of King Roger II was on the front of the silver noble coins, with the country's emblem, a sword with a crown, on its back[24]. The coin's appearance probably changed throughout the years to match the current ruler of the realm.

In 247 HE a large amount of counterfeit silver coins were in circulation, being produced by Pearl Skinner, with Hansevor Remy as the silver provider. Before the counterfeiting caused the value of silver to drop, ten silver nobles equaled a gold noble and ten copper nobles equaled one silver noble[25].

Religion

Worship

Most Tortallans worship primarily Mithros and the Goddess, along with any of the other Greater and Lesser Gods, depending on location and occupation. Despite the gods' interference in many mortals' lives, religion is not an incredibly central theme to Tortallans, unless they themselves are a priest or priestess of a divine being. Religion is more of a private practice, as opposed to a larger, overarching one. A Tortallan may visit a temple and worship/pray every so often, but attending such services on a weekly or monthly basis does not seem to be compulsory or even on the minds of many Tortallans. Regularity of worship probably depends on the god in question as opposed to the society as a whole. Prayer outside of a place of worship is common for Tortallans, and religion is integrated into society through regularity of prayer as opposed to compulsory worship.

See List of Tortallan Gods for more information about specific gods and religious practices in Tortall and the Tortallan Universe as a whole.

Weddings and Marriages

Weddings depend very much on which god of the pantheon. Mithrans have many different types of ceremonies, including lighting fires together, and wearing marigold necklaces made by the other. Weddings under the Great Mother Goddess usually involve handfasting, or the tying of the two wrists together.

A royal wedding in Tortall is performed by the two main sects of Tortall, a Mithran priest, and a priestess of the Goddess.[30]

Language

Tortallans primarily speak Common, the language of the Eastern Lands. The Bazhir have their own language, but they also speak Common.

Holidays and Festivals

The Awakening — Celebrated on February 1st for the beginning of spring.

Spring Equinox — March 20th. Transition from winter to spring. Pregnant women and animals are blessed by the Great Mother Goddess.

Beltane — May 1st, celebrates and promotes fertility.

Solstice — June 23rd. The longest day, door to summer opens.

Coronation Day — Full moon of July.

Education

Due to Queen Thayet's efforts, schooling is a requirement for most tenants and commoners, increasing the literacy rate among Tortallans. 95% of the nobility are literate, 98% of the merchant class, 45% of the common and lower classes.[2]

Fashion

Women's fashion

During the 420s in the royal court, women wore pastel colors that did not stand out[31]. Once Delia of Eldorne set the fashion for more bolder colors, women were more daring.

In the 450s HE, many of the trends set for women at court were by Queen Thayet. In one instance, Thayet wore a deep black gown studded with jewels and silver embroidery, which was made by Lalasa Isran. The queen was known for being incredibly daring with her clothing.

Men's fashion

Men's fashion has not evolved as drastically as women's fashion in Tortall. In the Tortallan royal court, it was fashionable for noblemen to wear fine fabrics usually bearing their crest. Velvet and silk were two popular fabrics. Men rarely wore ceremonial military gear unless it was a specific event for members of the military.

Writing

Tortallans trained in Carthak and the Yamani Isles go for brush and ink, while those trained in the Eastern lands use charcoal/paper or chalk/slates, then quill/parchment/paper for formal writing. Books are printed page by whole, carved page–no moveable type yet.[32]

Weaponry

In the Eastern Lands and Copper Isles, most knights (such as Kel and Alanna) carry a longsword. They are similar to our world's Norman longsword.[33] Tortallans in general use longbows or smaller recurve bows. Riders in Tortall use recurves. Some archers use crossbows.

History

Ancient history

Before Tortall, what was known as the Eastern Empire encompassed where Tortall, Barzun, Maren, Tusaine, Tyra, and Galla now stand. The Rethaward Dynasty ruled in the final few hundred years of the Eastern Empire, starting with Asaron I, who had the calendars changed to honor him (AE).[1]

From 780 to 795 BHE (Before Human Era, or Asaron Era), there was a civil war that marked the separation of the Eastern and Southern Empires. After a weak king ruled the Eastern Empire, it fell with the Choking of the Drell, a large earthquake that caused a lot of destruction. It was believed that the gods were punishing the Rethaward Dynasty.

Founding Tortall

After the fall of the Eastern Empire, Newlin I of Conté took power. He starts the Tortallan Books of Nobility and creates Tortall as its own sovereign nation.[1] The immortals were banished into the Divine Realms during King Newlin's reign in 836 AE, 64 years before the start of the Human Era.

01-99 HE

In 1 HE, the Book of Silver is created after the Book of Gold is filled.

100s HE

Reign of Baird III of Tortall

Reign of Jonathan I of Conté, the establishment of House Conté as the royal family

Appearances

Tortall is featured prominently throughout the books, and is the reason why the universe is referred to as the "Tortallan Universe". Tortall is mentioned in every book of the Universe, and appears in almost all of them.

Notes and references

↑Tortallans have a constitution and the monarchy does not hold absolute power, due to the Prime Minister. There are also several councils that provide checks and balances to the monarchy. It is still considered feudal as the nobility have quite a lot of political and social power.

↑Dispute: Trebond discrepancy; Tamora Pierce mentioned that Trebond got annexed to Crown lands upon Thom's death because women could not inherit—this is directly contested in the original text of Lioness Rampant.

↑This is a big difference from actual medieval times, as brides kept their birth names so their children could receive power by alluding to their maternal relatives, who were also presumably quite powerful.